He coyly fielded a question from The Dallas Morning News about the Mavericks’ rumored interest in acquiring him by saying, “I’m flattered” and of the Mavericks, “I respect them.”

Their best hope is that the Kings hold on to Cousins through the end of this season. Or until the end of 2018, when he becomes a free agent. […] Either way, expect the Mavericks to be near the front of the line at the first whiff that Sacramento might be willing to deal Cousins. By the way, Cousins has long expressed that he likes playing in Sacramento.

The Sacramento Kings, in an emailed statement, say they’re looking into the incident: “We have clear standards of conduct and behavior expected of the entire Kings organization – on and off the court. We are working with all parties involved to gather information in order to take any appropriate next steps.”

Per TMZ:

According to the lawsuit filed in NYC, Jasmine Besiso and Myrone Powell claim they were innocently hanging out when Barnes approached Jasmine and began to choke her.

In the suit, Powell says he saw the attack and tried to intervene but that’s when Cousins stepped in and punched him in the face. […] At that point, Barnes allegedly released Jasmine’s neck and elbowed her in the face — knocking her unconscious. Myrone claims he was taken to the ground and Barnes and Cousins proceeded to kick and punch him in the head and body.

The rep also says the two were transported by ambulance to a nearby hospital where they were treated for “serious injuries.” […] A rep for Barnes has previously told us that the NBA stars were the real victims — who were attacked by the other clubgoers over an accidental bump in the VIP section.

A rep for the NBA star tells us … Barnes was having a good time at Avenue Nightclub with his teammate, DeMarcus Cousins, when he went to sit at his VIP booth and accidentally “butt bumped” a woman who was at the next booth over.

Barnes claims the woman reacted by slapping him in the face, hard — and that’s when all hell broke loose.

Barnes claims the woman’s crew — which included several men — jumped in and began to get violent. Barnes was knocked to the ground in the melee and one of the men began to choke him.

“We talk about it all the time,” Wall said with a smile, after his Wizards defeated Cousins and the Sacramento Kings in overtime, 101-95.

Hours before the two went to dinner together, Cousins, playing coy while in a perky mood, expressed similar thoughts. […] “[Do we] talk about playing with one another? Is that your question?” Cousins asked a reporter, then grinning big just like Wall, “It’s come up.”

“Just trying to figure out what’s going to happen, you know what I mean?” Wall said. “[Cousins] loves where he’s at and I love where I’m at, so whatever we feel like gives us the best opportunity to win — I know what our [team] is here and what I want to do here. And it’s something I keep in my mind.”

It hasn’t always been easy for DeMarcus Cousins and the Kings to come by wins this season, but Boogie has still been putting up monster numbers despite swirling trade rumors. Against the Nets on Sunday night, DMC dropped 37 points and grabbed 11 boards to lead Sacramento to a 122-105 win.

I asked about Cousins just recently again, and Vivek Ranadive, the owner of the Sacramento Kings, does not want to trade DeMarcus Cousins. And so as long as that’s the case, all this talk is just that. It’s talk.

The Kings currently sit at 6-9 and Cousins is putting up monster numbers with 27.5 points and 9.9 rebounds per game.

Last night’s Kings-Raptors game had a little bit of everything. A controversial ending to the game, a double-double from Boogie Cousins and a moment of hilarity when Rudy Gay tossed DeMar DeRozan’s sneaker into the crowd and hit an unsuspecting fan in the head.

A gaffe by the timekeeper at the Kings-Raptors game in Sacramento led to the home team getting a controversial win. With 2.4 seconds left and the Kings up 102-99, DeMarre Carroll inbounded the ball to Terrence Ross who hit what seemed like a game-tying 3-pointer.

Upon review, it was clear that the clock did not start when DeMarcus Cousins tipped Carroll’s pass, giving Ross a little extra time to get his shot off. The refs waived off the shot and said after the game that “more than 2.4 seconds” had passed between when Cousins tipped the ball and Ross’ shot:

“I’ve got to hear another explanation better than that because we reviewed it about 10 times in there and even if the clock started once DeMarcus Cousins deflected it, Terrence Ross caught it, shot it with point-whatever it was, with plenty of time,” Casey said. “I don’t know where the malfunction came, I’ve got to hear more than that because I just watched the same review that they had.”

Casey was asked point blank if he felt he had one stolen from him.

“You make your bed but hopefully you have a rightful ending, the way you earned it,” Casey said. “The guys executed the end-of-game play to perfection, guy made a shot, you would think that would count.”

Patrick Patterson took to Twitter to say that he is looking forward to an apology from the NBA:

Looking forward to the apology from the @NBA even though it won't do shit for the outcome. #haha#raptors

Kristaps Porzingis (19p, 11r) and Dwight Howard (18p,18r) had double-doubles. Paul Millsap led the Hawks in scoring with 19. This was New York’s fourth consecutive victory at the Garden.

Trail Blazers 129 (8-7), Nets 109 (4-9)

Portland ran away with this one in the third quarter, outscoring the Nets 29-20. For the game, they shot a scorching 58% from the field. Everything was falling, including this insane circus shot from Dame:

It was a thriller in OKC, with Russell Westbrook tying the game at the end of regulation with a deep three:

The Pacers took over in overtime, however, and spoiled the Brodie’s triple-double night: 31 points, 15 assists, 11 rebounds. Jeff Teague had it going for Indiana, dropping 30 points of his own and adding 9 assists as well.

Nuggets 105 (5-8), Jazz 91 (7-8)

The rookie Jamal Murray led a balanced attack for Denver, scoring 18 points (16 in the fourth quarter) in 23 minutes off the bench. Gordon Hayward had 25 points and 7 rebounds for the Jazz, who have now lost four straight.

Kings 102 (5-9), Raptors 99 (8-5)

This one came down to the wire, with Terrence Ross connecting on a game-tying 33-footer at the buzzer:

Upon review, however, the refs concluded that the clock was started late, and Ross’ shot was waved off. Thus, the Kings snapped their four game losing streak with a 102-99 victory. Rudy Gay poured in 23 points and 9 boards.

Bulls 118 (9-5), Lakers 110 (7-7)

It was the Jimmy Butler show in LA tonight, as the All-Star dropped a season-high 40 points on 14/23 shooting. Lou Williams got buckets for the Lakers, scoring 25 off the pine, three of which came on this heave:

Despite making heavy offseason changes to both the coaching staff and roster, the Sacramento Kings have picked up right where they left off last season. The team currently sits at 4-8 after last night’s loss to the Spurs and after the game, point guard Ty Lawson told reporters that the team is not taking shooatarounds seriously and it is impacting their on court performance when the games tip-off.

“Shootarounds, we don’t take them serious. Nobody takes them serious. So, we do the same thing, even five on oh. Our pace is the way we play in the game. So, if you want to change that, we’ve got to change it with ourselves. It’s got to be important to you.”

Head coach Dave Joerger and DeMarcus Cousins didn’t deny Lawson’s claims and both shouldered the blame for the lackadaisical shootaround and the ensuing loss.

“It’s on me, because I allowed a very loose shootaround today,” Joerger said. “After four days of practice, I know they were kind of tired of being at practice and hearing my voice.”

“I take the blame for that, as the leader of this team, I have to do better,” Cousins said. “I’ve got to get my guys together. I’ve got to have more focused shootarounds and that falls back on me. He’s absolutely right.”

Update (November 14): Shaq may have been hitting on something. A Western Conference GM told Sporting News that Cousins trade rumors feel real and that the star big man could be on his way out in “three months, tops:”

“I’d say they have three months, tops,” one Western Conference general manager told Sporting News, requesting anonymity because he is not allowed to speak about other teams’ players. “Probably more like a month, or month-and-a-half, because the closer they get to the (February trade) deadline, the less they’re going to get back. If you’re trying to trade him the week of the deadline, it’s going to be tougher.”

The GM also went on to say that the Kings will have to, “cave a little” to get rid of DMC:

“It is not going to happen unless the Kings cave a little,” the West GM said. “No one is going to give up too much for someone who might ruin your team’s chemistry this year, then ruin it next year when he is playing for free-agent money. If they don’t see that, then I don’t think it changes and I don’t think he goes anywhere. I don’t know that is good for them or for him, either. But that’s the reality.”

Original Story: Shaquille O’Neal sits in an interesting position as both a member of mainstream media and a minority owner of the Sacramento Kings. On this past Thursday’s edition of Inside the NBA, Shaq, Kenny Smith and Ernie Johnson spoke about Sacramento and the future of DeMarcus Cousins. Considering the Diesel’s status wit the Kings franchise, his comments carried extra weight.

Shaq questioned Cousins’ leadership abilities and said that he’s hearing that the team could look to “go in another direction” if DMC doesn’t figure it out:

“He’s a hot head, so if they want to make a run, he has to be a leader…He hasn’t shown me those leadership qualities and that why I’m hearing talk of if things don’t start to become correct, [the Kings] may be looking to go in another direction.”

Cousins has been at the center of trade rumors for years now, but with a new arena in Sacramento, the Kings would be hard-pressed to trade their face of the franchise and one of the top players in the League without getting a major package in return. The team currently sits at 4-7 and Boogie is putting up 26.6 points and 8.6 rebounds per.

The Kings shot 29 percent in the second half and blew an early 19-point lead in a 101-91 loss to the Lakers at the Golden 1 Center. They had a two-game winning streak snapped before quickly turning around to playing at Portland on Friday night.

The Lakers, meanwhile, shot 54.1 percent in the second half, sealing the game by making 10-of-16 shots in the fourth quarter. Cousins returned with 10 points in the fourth, finishing with 28 to lead all scorers, but the rest of the Kings combined to go 2-for-15 from the field.

Frustration with the loss and repeated contact from the Lakers seemed to come to a head late as Cousins and Randle got locked up near the Lakers’ bench. But Cousins brushed it off as “just some friendly UK love” with his fellow Kentucky Wildcat.

That whole play defense for 48 minutes concept is designed to wear down opponents. But before it can do that, the Kings have to master playing with the fortitude necessary to carry out that plan consistently.

“It’s not something you can just come out and do,” said DeMarcus Cousins. “It’s a mindset. It takes a lot of energy and effort and also a lot of focus. You can talk it but you’ve got to go out and perform it on a nightly basis.”

That the Kings would nitpick at holding a team to 45.2 percent shooting and under 100 points is a sign that perhaps (coach Dave) Joerger’s message is becoming something the team will absorb and implement regularly.

DeMarcus Cousins received his first technical foul of 2016-17 in tonight’s Kings/Timberwolves match-up. Boogie got tangled up with Karl-Anthony Towns, and was whistled for a personal foul by referee Lauren Holtkamp.

“Kawhi, he was ridiculous as usual,” Popovich said. “He took two away in a row and said ‘Give me it’ and just grabbed it. He just grabbed it and took it twice in a row. I don’t see many people doing that.”

Cousins had 37 points and 16 rebounds to lead Sacramento (1-1). Cousins said the spirit of the team was good. They understand their mistakes, he said, and are ready for Saturday’s game against Minnesota. […] “I consider this a good loss, and I know everybody else in here feels the same way. Coach feels the same,” Cousins said. “It’s on to the next one. Tonight was a winnable game, and the next one is. If we play this way the remainder of the season, we’ll be fine.”

Someone who agrees with Cousins is Popovich. […] “If they sustain that (defense), that’s going to be a good basketball team,” Popovich said. “You can see (Dave Joerger’s) stamp on it already, defensively.”

In his upcoming book, Furious George, Karl writes that upon his first meeting with Gay, the forward told him, “Welcome to basketball hell.”

At the time, the Kings were playing some of their worst basketball.

After Sacramento fired head coach Mike Malone, the team had gone 7-21 under interim coach Tyrone Corbin. Cousins was out indefinitely after a bout with meningitis.

Of course, things didn’t get better for Sacramento with Karl as head coach. Things actually got far worse.

From ESPN:

An aside on Gay: He’s quoted in an advance copy of George Karl’s forthcoming book “Furious George,” due to be published in January by HarperCollins, as telling Karl when he met the new Sacramento coach for the first time in February 2015, “Welcome to basketball hell.”

Gay can become an unrestricted free agent after this season since he has a $14,263,566 player option for next season. With that in mind, sources indicated that the Kings are ideally looking for a starting-caliber point guard in any trade proposal involving Gay.

Dragic would fulfill Sacramento’s desire for a starting point guard. Including this season, Dragic has three guaranteed years remaining on his deal for a total of $51 million. He also has a $19.2 million player option for the 2019-20 season when he will be 33 years old. […] Collison, who is suspended for the first eight games of this season due to a domestic violence misdemeanor, would provide depth to a crowded Miami backcourt that features Tyler Johnson, Josh Richardson and newcomers Dion Waiters and Wayne Ellington. At 29 years old, he is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.

Ranadive had claimed that former head coach George Karl attempted to trade All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins, and got an angry rebuttal from former GM Geoff Petrie.

Per the Sac Bee:

The entire matter was immature, unseemly and utterly unnecessary. This was a college 101 course on revisionist history, a my-turn, your-turn recitation of events that occurred roughly 3 1/2 years ago – a lifetime in professional sports – and at the end of the most emotionally exhausting, even debilitating period in Kings history.

Before delving into the details, here is the latest update: Ranadive – who initiated the spat early last week by claiming, among other things, that none of the coaches or the general manager wanted to remain with the franchise he purchased from the Maloofs in May 2013 – contacted The Bee late Friday and offered what sounded like a combination act of contrition and concession speech.

“I wanted to sincerely apologize to Geoff Petrie and his team,” the owner began, speaking softly. “I meant no disrespect. I have the utmost respect for what they have done for the franchise and what they have accomplished. I fully understand that it’s a huge privilege to own a basketball team, and as chairman of the ownership, the buck stops with me. I accept responsibility for everything. All the mistakes are my mistakes.”

Ty Lawson is attempting to rebuild his career and image with the Sacramento Kings after being arrested four times for driving under the influence during his career. The 28-year-old was released by the Rockets last season after 53 games before finishing out the year with the Pacers.

Lawson has been penciled in as the opening night starter for the Kings now that Darren Collison is facing an eight-game suspension for a misdemeanor conviction for domestic assault. Lawson’s future with the team, however, is now murky.

Lawson reportedly showed up late to a shootaround in Las Vegas last week and then missed the Kings’ flight to Kentucky for an exhibition game.

Sources told ESPN.com that Lawson was late to a Kings shootaround in Las Vegas earlier this week, then missed the team’s trip east before Saturday night’s Sacramento/Washington preseason game at the University of Kentucky’s Rupp Arena, which represented a homecoming of sorts for Kings star DeMarcus Cousins and Wizards counterpart John Wall.

The Kings attributed Lawson’s absence from the lineup in Lexington to “personal reasons.” He has since returned to Sacramento, sources said, and faces an uncertain future with his new team after the week’s events.

Just joking around the other day, I apologized for him to – I said, “We like you so much, that’s why we decided to keep you here.” Rudy is a tremendous talent. He’s somebody that is beautiful to watch, the way he plays. We think Rudy is a big, big part of this team to be successful. So, we decide to go with him. And if he decides to stay next year, that’s great. If he decides to leave, that’s fine. But we want to make sure we compete this year.

And on McLemore:

It’s part of business. You’re going to receive a lot of calls. You’re going to make a lot of calls. We are very happy with Ben, the way he’s progressing this summer. He’s a very young player that we – like I said – we like a lot. So, we’re going to keep him.

The Kings seem like they’re getting back on the right track with a new arena and a promising new coach in Dave Joerger. The centerpiece of the franchise, however, is DeMarcus Cousins and the team will likely go as far as he can carry them.

It was no secret that Cousins and former head coach George Karl did not get along, and their volatile relationship led to suspensions and verbal spats between. Throughout Karl’s tenure, there seemed to be constant trade rumors between centered around DMC, and Kings owner Vivek Ranadive finally publicly confirmed that Karl was trying to move the franchise player.

Before parting ways, Ranadive wanted to discuss the night that Drake’s presence in the Kings’ locker room after a loss left many questioning his judgment…

A: “He’s friends with DeMarcus. And by the way, I’ve never ever been into the locker room (after a game). So when he was on his way, he said, ‘Hey, I’m just going to go say hi to DeMarcus.’ He had come all the way to support him, and I didn’t know that (there had been a fight).”

Q: That night, though, did you sense pretty quickly that there was some serious tension in the room?

A: You know, look, George had tried to trade Cousins that whole summer, and there was not a lot of love between those two, and so there was tension there. So that was not a new thing.”

Boogie says it will take time for the Kings to get fully comfortable with their schemes.

Per the Sac Bee:

DeMarcus Cousins can sum up his feelings about the Kings’ offense in nine words: “I love it. I love it. I love it.”

“A lot of learning,” Cousins said after Monday’s practice. “It’s a new system, of course, a lot of options, man. The offense is different. I think it’s a good look for our team. I think this will help this team get to the next level. So it’s about us getting the system down pat and getting these options, a lot of options.”

Last season, Cousins averaged 3.3 assists, just below his career-high 3.6 in 2014-15. He also averaged a career-high 20.5 field-goal attempts per game, including 3.2 three-pointers. […] “It’s been tough, honestly,” Cousins said. “To shake off the way we used to play, to a … more traditional way, it’s been tough, but I think guys have been great about it. We’re working hard. We’re taking in as much information as we can in a short period of time. I think we’re growing at a fast pace – still got a lot of growing to do.”

The NBA also consulted with a panel of experts in the field of domestic violence, upon whom the league relies in connection with such matters.

Based on this investigation, consultation, and a careful weighing of all the facts and circumstances, the NBA determined that an eight-game suspension was appropriate. Among other factors, the NBA took into account the conduct and its result, the player’s acceptance of responsibility, his cooperation with both law enforcement and the NBA, and his voluntary participation in counseling in addition to the court-mandated program.

Mr. Collison’s suspension will commence with the Kings’ first regular-season game, against the Phoenix Suns on Oct. 26.

Rudy Gay and the Kings have been at odds all summer, and it appears that he will be leaving Sacramento at the end of the upcoming season.

Gay has reportedly told the Kings front office that he plans to opt-out of his contract and become an unrestricted free agent in 2017. The move could mean that Gay will be traded before the season is over.

Forward Rudy Gay has informed Sacramento Kings management that he plans to use his 2017 player option to become an unrestricted free agent and considers himself unlikely to negotiate a new deal to return to the franchise, league sources told The Vertical.

Gay’s pledge to the Kings’ ownership and front office that he’s strongly leaning against re-signing with Sacramento is a declaration that could increase pressure on the organization to trade Gay sooner rather than later.

So far, Sacramento has shown no inclination to move Gay without a substantial package in return, league sources told The Vertical. Several teams have engaged the Kings in trade talks, but teams say those conversations have yet to find traction. Some teams have been unclear with what exactly Sacramento wants in return, and others say the asking price is too unreasonable.

Gay is set to earn $13.3 million this season and will leave $14.3 million on the table if he does in fact opt-out of his deal. The 30-year-old averaged 17.2 points and 6.5 rebounds last season.

Farmar, 29, is a nine-year veteran who helped the Los Angeles Lakers win NBA championships in 2009 and 2010. His career averages are 7.7 points, 1.9 rebounds and 2.9 assists.

Farmar began the 2015-16 season playing for Maccabi Tel Aviv in Israel, then joined the Memphis Grizzlies for the final 12 regular-season games and four postseason games. In Memphis, Farmar played for coach Dave Joerger, now the Kings’ coach.

Lawson, 28, reportedly planned to meet with the New Orleans Pelicans prior to the Kings’ offer.

Lawson has career averages of 13.1 points and 6.2 assists.

Per Yahoo:

Lawson joins a backcourt full of opportunity in Sacramento, where the Kings lost Rajon Rondo in free agency to the Chicago Bulls. Darren Collison is expected to be the Kings’ starter at point guard.

For Lawson, the experiment of coexisting with All-Star guard James Harden didn’t work with the Houston Rockets last season. Lawson agreed to a contract buyout in March after the Rockets sent Denver a first-round pick in a July deal for him. He then agreed to a contract to finish the season with the Indiana Pacers.

Lawson averaged 5.8 points and 3.4 assists in 22.2 minutes a game for Houston.

Rudy Gay and the Sacramento Kings appear to be headed for an ugly breakup, and general manager Vlade Divac says the veteran forward should reach out if he has any concerns about his future with the franchise.

Gay, 29, is owed $13.3 million next season and has a player option in 2017-18 for $14.3 million.

The Kings are hoping to get value in return for Gay instead of simply a salary dump.

Per CSN Bay Area:

“He has my number,” Divac said. “If I do something, I will call him. Obviously, if I didn’t call him, we didn’t do anything.”

Divac has restructured the Kings roster in the offseason, bringing in eight new faces via the draft and free agency. Sources have confirmed that the Kings are shopping Gay and the team has fielded plenty of calls, but they have yet to find a deal that makes sense for the team. […] The Kings GM has spoken with his small forward on this subject in the past and has nothing new to report. Divac has been on both sides of the table as both a player and now and an executive and he understands the frustration of being in limbo. But he also has a job to do.

“Look, I was a player, 16-17 years in the league, nobody called me everyday and tell me what management is doing,” Divac said. “Management was doing their job. If something big happened, they called and told me. Obviously, nothing big happened (so) I’m not going to call anybody.”

According to Kings general manager Vlade Divac, DeMarcus Cousins is the planet’s “most dominant” basketball player. Divac has kept a close eye on his All-Star center throughout the pre-Olympic tuneups,

He’s primed to show the world what both he and plenty of others around the basketball world already believe — that he is the best big man in the world. […] “It’s a no-brainer,” Kings general manager Vlade Divac said from his courtside seat. “He’s the most dominant player in the whole world. And being from Serbia, I have to root for Serbia, but I feel bad for them. He’s going to kill them.”

The Kings are hoping that this experience makes an impact on Cousins that he can bring back to the team. The Kings are banking that the experience of playing with some of the best will help Cousins develop the leadership skills he needs to help Sacramento turn the corner. […] Only time will tell if playing for his country will have the desired effect, but one thing is for sure — Cousins is having the time of his life.

“I’m having a lot of fun,” Cousins said with a grin. “I’m around a great group of guys — laughing, joking all day, enjoying each others company, playing basketball, which we all love. It’s been a great time.” […] “It’s fun to be around winning,” Cousins added.

Gay, 29, claims not to even know which new players the team acquired this summer.

The veteran forward is well aware of the organization’s ongoing efforts to ship him out of town.

Per Sactown Royalty:

You mentioned people are wondering if you are going to be here next season. I imagine you are like most of the guys in the league and try not to pay attention to that stuff, but do you pay attention to trade rumors and does it bother you?

“I mean it’s been pretty loud as of late so it’s hard not to pay attention to it. I think it just goes to, I don’t know, I think there’s always ways to do things and in this situation I don’t think it’s going about the right way. No matter what your intentions to do with your players, I would think the first thing you want to do is make sure people are happy with what you are doing. That hasn’t been the case.”

So you haven’t had much communication with the franchise as far as your future?

“No, I haven’t. I’ve had communication, but not the kind of communication that I would say I like.”

“I don’t know. Honestly, I haven’t paid attention. I don’t even know who our new players are to be honest with you. I’ve just been focused on trying to be healthy and trying to get in shape and get ready for the season, wherever that might be.”

Despite expressing his support for the team’s additions of more defensive-minded veterans in Arron Afflalo, Matt Barnes, Garrett Temple and Anthony Tolliver, and also describing first-round pick Skal Labissiere as “very impressive” during summer league, Cousins was disappointed with the backlash to his overall comments about doing “my job.” […] “I’m trying to figure out what I said wrong. Of course, they’ve twisted it into something negative, in some type of way,” Cousins said. “I’m clueless. It’s to the point now, where I don’t want to say anything about any situation. Then I’ll be the bad guy about that as well. Anything I do. Anything I do, it’s … it’s whatever, man.”

Cousins believes misconceptions about his attitude and passion for the game were responsible for his omission from the All-NBA first team this season, despite averaging a career-high 26.9 points along with 11.5 rebounds. […] “I don’t even know what an expert is any more,” Cousins said about the all-NBA votes. “I mean, I had some guys, didn’t even vote for me, and that’s absurd. It’s a joke. It really is. It’s a popularity contest. It’s the guys who like them, it’s the guys they like, the guys they get to see on a nightly basis. I still don’t feel I get the respect I deserve. But I’m going to keep grinding. I’m going to stick with it.”

Winning a gold medal with Team USA at the 2014 World Cup helped elevate Cousins’ career and change some negative perceptions about him, but he’s not sure what influence an Olympic gold could have on how people view him. “It’ll have its positives. But … I don’t know,” Cousins said. “I feel I’ve become a better player from this experience. I get to play for my entire country. You’d be a fool to ever pass that up. I’m extremely honored. I’m a prideful guy. I plan on representing well. I’m just excited about the whole thing.”

“I do my job,” Cousins said Monday after Team USA’s practice at Mendenhall Center. “I can’t control (the draft). I control what I can control.” […] After the June draft, the Kings are younger. With the additions of Papagiannis and power forward Skal Labissiere, they also are much bigger, even though they needed help at point guard and small forward.

Cousins said it’s not his responsibility to interpret the front office’s moves. His task is to play at a high level as a two-time All-Star. […] “I really don’t understand it,” he said of the addition of Papagiannis, “but I do my job.”

Barnes, 36, averaged 10 points and five boards for the Memphis Grizzlies last season.

Per CSN Bay Area:

Barnes spent last season playing under coach Dave Joerger in Memphis and instantly provides depth at the small forward position for the Kings. The versatile, but volatile wing averaged 10.0 points and 5.5 rebounds in 28.8 minutes per game last season with Memphis. Despite his advancing age for an NBA player, Barnes is known as a gritty defender and plays with a toughness the Kings desperately need.

Like Garrett Temple, who Sacramento signed earlier Sunday, this is the second tour of duty for Barnes with the Kings. The 36-year-old forward played 43 games during the 2004-05 season for the Kings before being sent to Philadelphia, along with Chris Webber and Michael Bradley for Brian Skinner, Kenny Thomas and Corliss Williamson.

Barnes made a surprise appearance at DeMarcus Cousins youth basketball camp at Sacramento High. He was very clear during that visit that he would love to come back to Sacramento and finish out his 13-year career that includes stops with the Clippers, Kings, 76ers, Knicks, Warriors, Suns, Magic, Lakers and Grizzlies.

USA Basketball unveiled the star-studded 12-man roster representing the 2016 U.S. Olympic Men’s Basketball Team at the Rio Olympics this summer Monday morning. The squad features six Olympic and/or FIBA

“I think I can speak for the entire coaching staff and say we’re extremely excited about the team we will field for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro,” said Jerry Colangelo, who has served as managing director of the USA Men’s National Team since 2005. “I love our depth, which is another indication of the depth of talent our national team program is blessed with. We’ve got a great mix of talent, scorers, past gold medal winners and outstanding youth.”

The U.S. roster features the return of two members from the 2012 gold medalist U.S. Olympic Team (Anthony and Durant) and five players who have been members of USA World Cup gold medalist teams; Cousins (2014), DeRozan (2014), Durant (2010), Irving (2014) and Thompson (2014).

“I’m a bit lighter than I’ve been (in) any of my previous years,” he said. “The pace of the of the game has picked up a lot, and I’ve got to be able to fit in. Also, my role changes a lot for Team USA. … I’m also trying to prepare my body for that.”

Cousins also hopes being lighter will help prevent injuries. He was bothered last season by tendinitis in both feet. […] “That’s also part of it,” he said. “A lot less pressure on my feet. It’s a new type of working out.”

Since the end of the season, Cousins has had four shock-wave treatments to alleviate pain in his feet. He said he feels good and is looking forward to Team USA training camp next month. […] “I’m very excited,” Cousins said. “I’ve always wanted to be on the Olympic team, and I’ve finally got the chance.”

The Sacramento Kings went all in and will rock new uniforms during the 2016-’17 season. The four new designs and new logo are inspired by classic Kings uniforms and pay homage to the city that the organization has made home since 1985.

The four new uniforms – home, away, global and city – showcase updated emblems and a refreshed color palate. The classic Baby Blues, worn from 1985-1990, as well as for select home games last year – will return as a part of the team’s ongoing salute to the origins of the team.

At the center of the home, away and city jerseys, the team’s new crown serves as a reminder of the foundation of the team. The city jersey proudly features Sacramento’s oft-referenced acronym – SAC – in bold granite lettering, representing the organization’s deep connection to its city.

The clean, tri-colored side stripes on the shorts – inspired by the Kansas City-era Kings – are tapered for a modern look. At the base of the shorts for all three uniforms, the city logo serves as a reminder that when you root for the Kings, you root for Sacramento.

A bold, black global jersey features the team’s global crest, a symbol of leadership and strength. The granite pattern – a continuous “S” inspired by an emblem on our city’s flag – runs horizontally through the jersey to reflect the inseparable link between the team and its community. The design runs through the shorts up to a single granite stripe, reminiscent of the team’s first black uniforms in 1994. The primary emblem on the shorts is inspired by the classic Kings logo, reimagined to reflect the civic and franchise pride that has grown over the last 31 years.

“There were too many distractions on and off the court. The organization as a whole, I don’t think was together completely. I think as a team you have to want the best for the next man beside you, and that wasn’t the case with the Sacramento Kings,” he said. “Too much tension. I’ve never witnessed or experienced a thing like that in my 10-year career.”

Rondo called Cousins “the best big in the league” and said the 25-year-old center has “become like a little brother to me.” But Rondo also said Cousins has room to improve. […] “He’s one of the guys that’s very selfless. He has to find other ways to get it done. He’s going to continue to grow and learn. I was just glad I was able to be in his life and have a little bit of influence and help him a little bit this year,” said Rondo. […] Rondo said he would “love to continue to play with” Cousins, but for that to happen, he and the Kings need to “come together and figure out if we can work, but if not, I’m always in, I’m open. I’m open this summer and I look forward to having a great career.”

Last December, Rondo directed a gay slur at veteran NBA referee Bill Kennedy, who announced he was gay after the incident. Rondo later apologized. […] “I definitely want to apologize again for my actions earlier on in the year. That’s not who I am if you know me. Want to send my thoughts and prayers out to the LGBT community. The only thing that’s going to stop all this madness is love. The only thing that can conquer hate is love. I think that’s what we need to do is love one another. My prayers and thoughts go out to the community of Orlando.”

The Sacramento Kings are reportedly going to interview both Patrick Ewing and David Blatt for their now-vacant head coaching position. Sources on @TheVertical. Charlotte's Patrick Ewing will interview for Sacramento

“Eighty percent of the time I think the Kings did what had to be done,” Karl said of his firing after his 44-68 record. “But I’m old school enough to think that a coach has to feel powerful, has to feel supported, and I never felt that level of support.” […] Karl was doomed by the organization’s chronic dysfunction from the start. Karl was a popular hire among Kings fans when he replaced Tyrone Corbin, who was treated like a doormat by Cousins after Michael Malone’s brutally ill-conceived firing. But Karl stepped into a situation that doubled as a septic tank long before his plane touched down.

“Do you want my opinion?” Kim Van Deraa, his longtime companion, suddenly interjected from across the room. “I think DeMarcus needs to be loved. I kept telling George, ‘Go over and put your arms around him! He needs love.’ ” […] I don’t disagree,” he said, “but he needs players around him that are better fits. You could tell at the end of last year that Rudy (Gay) and Cuz didn’t work. We added some pieces last summer, but we had too many guards. I kept telling Mike (Bratz), ‘Darren Collison, Ben McLemore and Marco Belinelli are too similar. Trade one of them because you can’t keep three (shooting) guards happy.’ And I wanted to play Seth (Curry), but you can’t give a player seven minutes here, seven minutes there, and think they can gain any confidence.”

“When the Kings moved to Sacramento in 1985, the city was transformed. Today, we aim to do it again,” said Owner and Chairman Vivek Ranadivé. “This brand kicks off a new era for our franchise as we move into the most technologically-advanced, most environmentally-friendly arena in the world. As Sacramento becomes the next great American city, this identity honors our heritage while moving us forward.”

The new primary emblem is inspired by the Kings classic logo. It is reimagined to reflect the civic and franchise pride that has lasted and grown for a generation. Now, with a clean, modern look – a reshaped crown, refined basketball and new typeface that puts Sacramento front and center – the new identity draws from the team’s ambitious beginnings and reminds our region and the world that Sacramento is undergoing a transformation.

Each of the team’s new insignia are designed to connect to the elements that define the Sacramento Kings: Our City. Our Pride. Our Foundation.

The secondary logo featuring the lion, pays tribute to the unmatched pride and loyalty of the NBA’s best fans. The “Sac” badge is dedicated to the bold and unwavering devotion the Kings organization has for its city. A new crown logo reflects the rich tradition of the team dating back to its origins, reminding the fanbase and the community of Sacramento that, “we are all Kings.” The heralding lion crest represents leadership and strength and will be used as the Kings work to make basketball the premier global sport of the 21st century.

And the official hype video to accompany the logo unveiling, narrated by none other than Vlade Divac:

Mark Jackson, Vinny Del Negro and Sam Mitchell are the first three candidates scheduled to interview for the Sacramento Kings’ vacant coaching position, according to league sources.

Jackson, who has been working as a broadcaster for ESPN since his ouster by the Golden State Warriors in May 2014, is one of three known candidates to land an interview for the Wolves’ job, along with co-favorites Jeff Van Gundy and Tom Thibodeau.

Former Houston Rockets coach Kevin McHale and Indiana Pacers assistant coach Nate McMillan are also among the prime candidates on Sacramento’s list. Neither McHale nor McMillan has formally scheduled an interview with the Kings, but in McMillan’s case, that would be dependent on the Pacers’ playoff schedule.

“There were many, many more good days than bad days, but there’s no question this season had a lot of negative to it,” he said. “But I think I’m proud of how we’ve persevered and fought through it and actually became a stronger team as we finished the year.”

The Rockets will take on the defending champion Golden State Warriors in round 1 of the Playoffs starting this Saturday.

Per the AP:

“A lot of people wrote us off, thought we weren’t going to make the playoffs and here we are,” James Harden said.

The Rockets never trailed and had a 64-44 lead at halftime behind 16 points from Harden and 10 each from Dwight Howard and Michael Beasley. […] They won their last three games to sneak into the playoffs after losing three of the previous four to fall behind Utah and into ninth place in the West. Houston will meet top-seed Golden State in the first round of the playoffs this weekend.

“We … sat here at the beginning of the year thinking the playoffs wouldn’t have been this big of a struggle, so we had expectations of making the playoffs,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “So, now we have to get busy.”

A veteran-laden team that was supposed to win never meshed with coach George Karl. Once they were eliminated from the postseason picture, the Kings finally appeared to enjoy playing. […] The issues between Karl and the players nearly led to the coach’s firing in February, and this time, financial reasons or a chat with general manager Vlade Divac won’t save his job after Wednesday’s game. Multiple league sources have indicated Karl will be fired Thursday. The sources would not go on the record because they are unauthorized to speak on the matter.

In some ways, a dismissal might be a relief to Karl, as communication between the coach and the front office has not been ideal. Divac fired one of Karl’s assistants, Vance Walberg, in February, and Divac stopped Karl from suspending Cousins in November after a locker room tirade.

Players were frustrated with Karl most of the season, and it showed on the court. They distrusted the coach’s defensive schemes and needed more direction on offense. Players also privately complained that Karl didn’t hold his stars accountable. […] The latest communication breakdown came this week when the front office did not tell Karl his top players weren’t going on the final trip.

The Grizzlies may have given Golden State a run for their money, but the Warriors are still in pursuit of their record 73rd victory. Facing a 10-point deficit halfway through the fourth quarter, Golden State staged a late run to hand Memphis a devastating one-point defeat. While Memphis had their chances to knot the game up, a late no-call on Draymond Green would prove to be a defining moment in Saturday’s contest. What do you think- did Green get away with excessive contact on Vince Carter?

Celtics 107 (47-33), Hawks 118 (48-32)

A huge night from Paul Millsap helped Atlanta claim sole possession of third place in the Eastern Conference. Jeff Teague and Kent Bazemore combined for 45 points, while Dennis Schroder added 15 off the bench. Teague put the game away for good with this late steal:

Cavaliers 102 (56-24), Bulls 105 (40-40)

LeBron James dropped 33 points with seven boards on Chicago, but the Bulls would ultimately prevail to keep their playoff hopes alive for another day. Jimmy Butler scored 21, and Chicago received 16 points from an unlikely source; 23-year-old Cristiano Felicio, who entered the contest averaging just 2.4 points per game.

Suns 121 (22-58), Pelicans 100 (30-50)

Mirza Teletovic and Archie Goodwin, two mainstays of Phoenix’s rotation this season, combined for 46 points in a lopsided win for the Suns. While Toney Douglas led NOLA’s offense with 23 points, recent 10-day contract signing James Ennis added 18 in his audition for a roster spot next season.

Timberwolves 106 (28-52), Trail Blazers 105 (43-38)

The Timberwolves won their third straight thanks to 27 points from Karl-Anthony Towns, 23 from Andrew Wiggins, and a double-double from Nemanja Bjelica. Damian Lillard ignited the arena with an improbable four-point play, but Towns ended the game with this floater:

Talk about a fitting send-off! In Sacramento’s final game played at the Sleep Train Arena, the Kings (listed as three-to-one underdogs) pulled off a huge upset at OKC’s expense. Seth Curry, Rudy Gay, and Darren Collison all scored at least 20 points, overcoming a night of 48.1 percent shooting from the Thunder. In honor of the landmark night, the Kings brought some familiar faces back to Sacramento.

Cousins and teammate Rajon Rondo were slapped with techs in Wednesday’s win against the Washington Wizards.

From the press release:

Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins has received a one-game suspension without pay for receiving his 16th technical foul of the 2015-16 season, it was announced today by Kiki VanDeWeghe, Executive Vice President, Basketball Operations.

Under NBA rules, a player or coach is automatically suspended without pay for one game once he receives his 16th technical foul during a regular season. For every two additional technical fouls received during that regular season, the player or coach will be automatically suspended for an additional game.

Cousins received his most recent technical foul with 0:06 remaining in the fourth quarter of the Kings’ 120-111 win over the Washington Wizards on March 30 at Sleep Train Arena. Cousins will serve his suspension on Friday, April 1 when Sacramento hosts the Miami Heat.

A little over a month ago, Sacramento Kings guard Rajon Rondo dismissed the Triangle Offense as not being “a good look” for him, but he walked back those remarks over the weekend prior to facing the New York Knicks.

Rondo says he can thrive in any system, and took a shot at former Knicks head coach Derek Fisher after he claimed the veteran guard hadn’t succeeded against the famed offense in the past.

Rondo on Fisher saying he wasn't successful vs. the triangle: "He might have blacked out a couple of times (when) we beat their a– in '08."

“I had a comment earlier about it, but if I put my mind at it, I think I can be good at anything,” Rondo said. […] The free-agent-to-be surely will be a target of the Knicks this summer to fill a point guard position that has been a black hole since Jason Kidd manned it in a 54-win campaign during the 2012-13 season. Not surprisingly, it was also the last time the Knicks qualified for the playoffs.

Rondo signed a one-year, $9 million deal with the Kings last year in attempt to revive his career, and he has done just that. The 30-year-old is averaging 11.7 points and a career-high 11.8 assists per game and has made it known he loves to play at Madison Square Garden. […] “It’s one of those arenas,” Rondo said. “That’s the biggest lights. It’s Broadway … Madison Square Garden is the mecca of basketball, so it’s always great going there and perform in front of a lot of fans.”

Cousins and the Sacramento Kings were looking for a good fight, and without Carmelo Anthony, the New York Knicks couldn’t provide one. […] Cousins had 24 points and 20 rebounds, and the Kings had their best defensive performance of the season Sunday night in an 88-80 victory.

Cousins emerged the winner in a good big-man duel with Lopez, who finished with 23 points and a career-high 20 rebounds. […] “That was a fun battle,” Cousins said. “You really don’t get a chance to see those type of battles with the bigs anymore, it’s so much of a guard game. We battled for a full game so it was a lot of fun.”

Cousins played through his usual frustrations with the officiating and even a security guard, pushing him after he bumped into Cousins while Rajon Rondo was trying to separate his teammate from the officials at midcourt. […] “Actually I think he was trying to remove me from talking to the refs, so he kind of put his hand on my back and tried to move me forward,” Cousins said. “So I don’t think it was that big of an issue, honestly.”

As the dysfunction within the Kings organization continues to grow, head coach George Karl is reportedly waging war with owner Vivek Ranadive. Sometime during the widespread rumors of Karl’s impeding firing—which culminated in the letting-go

Almost every organization in the NBA has good reason to believe their operation is more positive and productive than the Kings. The Karl component has taken this to an all-new level of awful, if only because the writing has been on the wall about his situation for so long.

The wildly talented Cousins is a lot of things, but he’s no dummy. He sees the justifiable criticism of Ranadive, whose refusal to stand by the only NBA coach who truly connected with Cousins, Michael Malone, in Dec. 2014 was one of the many plot twists that helped cause this mess.

He sees the in-fighting on the coaching staff, with assistant coach Nancy Lieberman identified as a Ranadive confidante and thus unofficially exiled by Karl months ago.

Boogie spoke after posting 31 points and ten rebounds in a 108-99 home loss to the Utah Jazz, and made sure everyone understood that it was head coach George Karl who suspended him, and not the organization: “That wasn’t no suspension from the organization,” said Cousins, “that was a suspension from the head coach, there’s a difference.”

This team is a disaster.

Per the Sac Bee:

Cousins returned from his one-game suspension by general manager Vlade Divac for conduct detrimental to the team and had 31 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and two steals. It was the 10th time he’s had a double double with at least 30 points this season in a loss, the most in the NBA.

Cousins was asked if he’d spoken to Karl. […] “(Karl) hasn’t said a word to me,” Cousins said.

“I know for a fact there’s a lot of frustration in this locker room,” Cousins said. “I believe everyone believes we should be a lot better than we are and we’re just frustrated that we’re not. We haven’t performed to the level of expectations, so there’s a lot of frustration with that.” […] “It’s a lot of chaos, a lot of chaos,” Cousins said. “Usually it’s just a frustration about coming out and winning games. But so much extra stuff this season, extra unnecessary stuff. It’s a lot of stuff within, a lot of battles, including guys who should be on your side. It’s probably one of the most frustrating ones.”

The 30-year-old floor leader has enjoyed a bounce-back season and currently leads the NBA in assists per night.

Per the NY Daily News:

“I think Rondo — just me personally, I don’t want to be tampering — but I’ve heard he said he wouldn’t thrive in a system like this,” Anthony said. “I think he’d be perfect in a system like this.”

Anthony then refuted the idea that the triangle isn’t a system for ball-dominant point guards, or averse to those like Rondo who aren’t good shooters but create through penetration. […] “It is a misconception about that. Some of the keys of our offense is penetration, getting in the paint,” Anthony said. “Pushing the pace, transition. Creating in the paint for bigs, for yourself, everybody else. I think a point guard would love that. Especially a point guard who can penetrate, create for yourself, create for others. I think it’s a perfect opportunity for him. Put me at the head of the (meeting) table,” Anthony said. “And let’s go to work.”

Earlier this season, Anthony said that he successfully convinced Rondo to join the Knicks a couple of seasons ago, but the point guard was under contract with the Celtics. […] “I’ve talked to him kind of behind the scenes, kind of doing what I do best. Tried to get him to think about playing in New York,” Anthony said. “There was a time where he wanted to come. It’s out of my hands at that point.”

The Pels roared back from a a 17-point, second-half deficit to hand the Kings their second loss in a row.

AD had 23 points after halftime.

Per the AP:

“No matter what the score is or what the situation is — playoffs or no playoffs — we’re going to keep playing,” said Davis, who scored 23 points in the second half.

Norris Cole, who was questionable with back soreness, scored 23 and Jrue Holiday added 20 for New Orleans, which snapped a four-game skid. Dante Cunningham added a clutch 3-pointer — just his 40th of the season — to give the Pelicans their first lead of the second half at 111-110 with 36 seconds left.

The Kings finished with 24 turnovers in a loss that dropped them 5 ½ games behind Houston for the final Western Conference playoff spot. […] “It’s been killing us all year,” Cousins said of the turnovers. “It’s going to continue to be a problem if we don’t fix it.”

San Antonio finished the game on a 12-0 run, punctuated with a Kawhi Leonard 3-pointer with 35 seconds left. Incredibly, Leonard’s 30-point performance was just his second time scoring 30-plus this season.

Kings 104 (25-35), Mavs 101 (33-29)

Rajon Rondo had 18 points and 12 assists in a triumphant return to Dallas. Get this—it was Sacramento’s first win in Dallas for the first time since February 27, 2003.

The Warriors erased a nine-point third quarter deficit with a big contributions from Marreese Speights and Shaun Livingston. Despite an off shooting night, Stephen Curry did his part with 33 points and hit some clutch threes. With the win, Golden State finished 3-0 in the regular-season series with OKC.

Delays, delays – Teams rarely are called for delay-of-game technical fouls, much less back-to-back. […] But the Kings picked up two such technicals with 1.2 seconds left in the first half.

The officials said Rondo twice refused to take the ball to inbound, resulting in the violations. Teams receive one delay-of-game warning – the Kings had one in the first quarter – and each subsequent delay results in a technical. […] Cousins kept Rondo away from the officials as he tried to pursue them for an explanation.

“It’s lovely. That’s lovely,” (Kevin) Durant said. “That’s like Christmas. You know coming in here this team, they have a little hot head so you know at some point you’re going to get free points.”

It was a much-needed victory for the Thunder, who had dropped two straight and four of five, including a heartbreaking overtime loss to Golden State on Saturday night at home. […] “It’s been an up-and-down roller coaster the last couple of weeks, so it was nice to chill and coast to a victory,” said Durant, who had 10 rebounds, six assists and two steals.

What also was nice was how well the Thunder’s bench performed, delivering 64 points in a rare game of late for Oklahoma City that didn’t hinge on the final minutes. […] Enes Kanter made all 11 shots and had 23 points, and Dion Waiters was also highly efficient, making three 3-pointers and shooting 8 of 11 in scoring 22. Serge Ibaka had 12 points and seven rebounds, and reserve Kyle Singler hit three 3s and had 11 points.

“A lot of times our bench doesn’t get this kind of scoring opportunity,” coach Billy Donovan said. “The second unit with Kevin in there was really moving the ball. It was good to see us come out and play the way we did. It was a nice team effort.” […] Oklahoma City shot a season-high 57 percent, made 14 3-pointers and piled up 28 assists against a porous Kings defense, which allowed a season-high point total. It was the second-highest scoring game for Oklahoma City.

Cousins scored eight of the Kings’ final 13 points to secure their third straight victory.

Per the AP:

Cousins stole the ball from D.J. Augustin and was fouled on his way to the basket. He made both free throws to give the Kings a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. Cousins preserved the win by stripping the ball away from Darrell Arthur in the final seconds. […] “I’m just playing my game,” Cousins said. “That’s the best way to put it.”

It was Cousins’ 53rd career game with at least 30 points. Rudy Gay added 16 points, 10 rebounds and three of Sacramento’s 12 blocked shots, helping coach George Karl get the win against his former team.

The Nuggets had eight players score in double figures in their fourth loss in five games. Will Barton scored 14 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter, and Danilo Gallinari had 17 points despite a cut on his right hand. Nikola Jokic finished with 13 points, 13 rebounds and six assists.

(General manager Vlade) Divac is still looking to make a trade before Thursday’s noon deadline but said firing Walberg was necessary to improve the coaching staff. […] “Obviously (Karl) didn’t like it, but I felt like we had to do something to shake things up,” Divac said.

Wednesday was the first practice after the All-Star break for the Kings, who stumbled in losing eight of 10. Divac said the move allows Karl to hire another coach, possibly one who would focus on defense, where the Kings have struggled most of the season. […] “Vance is a guy who has been intellectually influential in my thoughts on basketball, probably in my top 10,” Karl said. “He’s that good, he’s that talented, he’s brilliant in a lot of ways … there’s no question I’m disappointed and confused.”

“I know it’s going to sound crazy, but the balance in my life, I’m pretty balanced right now,” Karl said. “Were there days I thought I was gone? Probably. It wasn’t all day, it might have been a moment, a comment, a phone call.” […] Karl said blaming assistant coaches for the Kings’ struggles, which include allowing a league-high 109.1 points per game, is wrong. Associate head coach Chad Iske is in charge of the defense.

George Karl will continue as the Kings’ coach, general manager Vlade Divic said after meeting with Karl in Philadelphia Tuesday, just one day after Karl’s firing appeared imminent. […] “George is our coach and we’re collectively working through our issues,” Divac said in a statement.

The meeting focused on how Karl can get the Kings to improve on three-point defense, transition defense and an overall lack of energy on defense that have plagued the team. Divac does not believe firing Karl is the solution to the problems.

The four-game road trip was seen as a chance to make strides before the All-Star break. Instead, the Kings have played some of their worst basketball of the season. […] They’ve lost all three games, giving up 125.3 points per game.

The sources said Karl will not keep his job beyond the All-Star break. The Kings’ final game before the break is Wednesday against the Philadelphia 76ers. […] A season that looked to be on the upswing last month has gone awry, leaving the players to wonder if they have the fortitude to turn things around.

“I hope that’s the case,” guard Rajon Rondo said after Monday night’s 120-100 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena. “But with optional shootarounds, it’s tough. We’ve lost eight of nine. When three or four guys show up for shootaround (Monday) morning, how can you expect to win?” […] Optional workouts are nothing new for the Kings under Karl. But with the team in a tailspin and its defense faltering, players questioned the logic behind making anything optional.

After firing Michael Malone and Tyrone Corbin last season, the Kings hired Karl at the All-Star break to provide stability. But that hasn’t been the case, dating to Karl’s feud with center DeMarcus Cousins last summer. Several players also have been unhappy with Karl’s coaching style. […] Assistant coach Corliss Williamson, a former teammate of Kings general manager Vlade Divac and the lone holdover from Malone’s staff, is a logical choice to be interim coach.

Over his last seven games, Kyrie Irving has scored 28, 21, 25, 26, 19, 29 and now 32 points. His five 3-pointers Monday were a season high and his 13 baskets were one shy of a season high. Better yet, he’s shooting 54 percent over that stretch, which dates back to Jan. 29. […] Bottom line: Irving is coming along. The last part of his game to return following his knee surgery seems to be his 3-point shooting, which makes sense in a way. Tyronn Lue reiterated after this one he just needs to regain more strength in his legs, which the team believes is why he entered Monday shooting under 26 percent from deep. That’s why his 5-of-8 performance Monday was encouraging.

“Last few games just felt really good,” Irving said. His hot streak seems to coincide with Lue’s instructions for him to attack, attack, attack. It feels odd to say that to a point guard, but Lue’s only focus is to get Irving back to being Kyrie Irving. […] Irving conceded the other night he’s sometimes struggling to find the line of when to attack and when to set up teammates, but he matched a career high with 12 assists Monday.

It was another excellent day for J.R. Smith, who remained red-hot from 3-point range. Smith has made six 3-pointers in consecutive games and has totaled 17 3-pointers in his last three games. He has played so well he earned praise from George Karl despite the two parting ways on rocky terms in Denver. They still don’t speak. […] “Wow, is he playing great,” Karl said. “I think he’s done a good job of taking out the bad. It seems like LeBron (James) has calmed him down and brought solid and simple to his game.”

Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins evidently has plenty of pull within the organization—the big fella made the team cancel a T-shirt giveaway Monday night in conjunction with the Lunar New Year celebration, feeling it was inappropriate to put purple monkeys on the garments on the first day of Black History Month.

I walk into the building and DeMarcus Cousins calls me over to an animated discussion he’s having with Kings operations people. He ask me, “Olskool, what you think about this T Shirt? Told him a little insensitive on 1st day of Black History Month”. They pulled the shirts…

Others in the Kings organization also objected to the promotion, which was to take place on the first day of Black History Month.

Kings employees rushed to take all the shirts off seats at the Sleep Train Arena, where they were placed earlier Monday. The black shirts adorned with a purple monkey were to be given away as part of a Chinese Lunar New Year Celebration during the game between the Bucks and Kings.

Instead the shirts were stashed away before fans began filing into the arena, located west of downtown Sacramento. A new downtown arena is being built and is scheduled to be ready for the 2016-’17 season.

The constant in both (wins without Cousins) has been the play of Gay, who has three 30-point games this season, and two coming against the Bucks. […] Without Cousins, Gay became the focal point of the offense.

“DeMarcus being out had a lot to do with it,” Gay said. “Obviously he’s been carrying us for a while for the most part this season. Just had to step up. When guys go down, not just him, Ben (McLemore) is out, so guys have to step up.” […] The Kings pulled away in the fourth quarter thanks to Gay being a willing passer and the rest of the team following suit.

“I expected it,” said Kings guard Rajon Rondo of Gay. “I think the last time Cuz was out when we played Milwaukee and (Gay) had 36. Every time his name is called he always steps up to the challenge, especially when we’re a man down.”

It is now apparent that coach Alvin Gentry’s up-tempo, flowing system has caught on in New Orleans, and it looks like the transformation has taken place in time for the surging Pelicans to make a run at a playoff spot. […] “Obviously, Ryan was great, but I thought our other guys stepped up,” Gentry said. “When they made a run at us, we kept our composure and were able to come up with the necessary baskets to extend the lead back. I was happy with the way everyone played.”

While neither team is currently in the Western Conference playoff picture, both came in winning five of their previous seven games. So it looked bleak for New Orleans when Gentry announced before tip-off that Davis, who went down with a concussion Monday night, and Evans, who has right knee tendinitis, would be out — removing two of the Pelicans’ top three scorers from the lineup.

Now New Orleans, which opened the season at 1-11, is 17-28 and three games behind Portland for the Western Conference’s final playoff spot. The Pelicans have won six of eight, with the only losses in that stretch coming by two points at Memphis last week and by one point Monday night against Houston. […] “We’ve been playing hard and playing really good defense and just playing for each other,” Holiday said. “If we keep doing that, I think we can be where we want to be at the end of the day.”

It wasn’t a surprise that NBA fans voted retiring superstar Kobe Bryant as a Western Conference All-Star starter despite his struggles this season. […] The oddity is that if Bryant were listed at guard, the position he played for the majority of his career, instead of in the frontcourt, Zaza Pachulia of the Dallas Mavericks would have been voted a West starter.

As it stands now, fans are asked to vote for three frontcourt players (regardless of position) and two guards per conference as starters. […] “It’s disrespectful to big men,” Cousins said. “It’s not really fair. But that’s how it is.”

Cousins was named the Western Conference Player of the Week on Monday and has averaged 27.6 points and 11.4 rebounds this season. When asked what changes he would make to All-Star voting, Cousins was quick to respond. […] “There definitely wouldn’t be fan voting,” Cousins said. “You can’t base it off of who is on TNT and ESPN every night. Of course, it’s going to be most winning teams’ [players], the most popular players [selected]. The other guys that play for the Milwaukee Bucks, and in our case the Sacramento Kings, who are playing just as good basketball, will never be seen. I don’t think it’s fair.”

Troy Daniels scored a career-high 28 points for the Hornets, including the game-winning three-pointer.

The Kings blew a 17-point first-half lead.

Per the Sac Bee:

DeMarcus Cousins set a franchise record for scoring with 56 points before fouling out. Chris Webber held the previous record of 51, set Jan. 5, 2001. […] “I don’t care,” Cousins said of the record. “I’m trying to win a game.”

The Kings blew a 22-point lead in a loss at Charlotte on Nov. 23. This time they wasted a 17-point first-half lead, surrendering a Charlotte record 20 made three-pointers in a record 44 attempts. […] The final three was from Troy Daniels, who made a 27-footer in the second overtime to win the game.

Cousins took the blame for the third quarter as the man he was defending, (Spencer) Hawes, made all four of his three-point attempts. […] “I think it was more on me,” Cousins said. “I let Hawes get some momentum in the game and he hit a couple threes in a row. That’s what kind of changed the game and gave them some life.”

…the Minnesota Timberwolves still weren’t able to pull off the win in Cleveland. Those guys LeBron James (25 points, 9 assists) and Kyrie Irving (19 points, 9 rebounds) make things a bit complicated.

Celtics 116 (25-21), Wizards 91 (20-22)

The Boston Celtics cruised to their third consecutive victory, as they blew out the Washington Wizards in D.C. on Monday night. The road team led by as many as 30 points before the final score displayed a 25-point win. Isaiah Thomas led the way with 23 points and 9 assists, as five more Celtics contributed double-figs.

Heat 89 (24-21), Bulls 84 (25-19)

Dwyane Wade led the Miami Heat to a victory in Chicago. Behind D-Wade’s 28 points, 7 boards and 5 dimes, the Heat put an end to their four-game losing streak. Although Wade and Chris Bosh (18 points) were the only Heat players in double-figures, that was enough to triumph over Pau Gasol’s 19-point, 17-rebound performance.

Grizzlies 108 (26-20), Magic 102 (20-23) OT

Jeff Green scored a season-high 30 points, including an overtime-forcing jumper, to lead the Memphis Grizzlies to a victory over the visiting Orlando Magic, who have now lost six straight games. The Grizz won out in multiple categories including points in the paint (70-50) and offensive boards (18-8).

Rockets 112 (25-22), Pelicans 111 (16-28)

James Harden scored 35 points (plus 11 boards and 8 assists) on Monday night to lead the Rockets to victory over the Pelicans. Trevor Ariza added a season-high 31 points in the win. Jrue Holiday was the high-scoring man for the Pels with 32 points (his own season-high) off the bench in the loss. NOLA was without Anthony Davis in the second half, who had to leave the game after getting elbowed in the head by teammate Tyreke Evans.

Hawks 119 (27-19), Nuggets 105 (17-28)

The Atlanta Hawks led by as many as 22 points on Monday night in Denver, before they completed the job and achieved a win on the road. Paul Millsap led ATL with 22 points and 9 rebounds, and Al Horford added 18. The Hawks shot 50 percent from the field, and restricted their opponents to 39 percent. Will Barton was the high-scoring man for the Nuggets, with 21.

Pistons 95 (24-21), Jazz 92 (19-25)

Led by Reggie Jackson’s 29 points, the Detroit Pistons came out with a victory over the Utah Jazz on Monday night, nipping their two-game losing streak in the bud. Ersan Ilyasova added 16 points to contribute to the victory. Unfortunately for the Jazz, Rudy Gobert’s 17-point, 17-board double-double and Gordon Hayward’s 23 points couldn’t do the trick. The Jazz lost five of their last seven games.

Hornets 129 (22-23), Kings 128 (20-24) 2OT

Dang…DeMarcus Cousins. You know, this guy:

Yep, he scored a career/franchise/NBA season-high 56 points tonight (plus 12 boards) before fouling out in the second overtime period. Despite the monster performance from our latest cover subject, his Sacramento Kings couldn’t pull off the win. Charlotte’s Troy Daniels sank one of his eight 3-pointers to give his team a 129-128 lead, leaving 9.0 seconds on the clock.

The Kings couldn’t convert in those final moments, and the road win went to the Hornets.

Warriors 120 (41-4), Spurs 90 (38-7)

The game everyone was looking forward to, a battle of Best in the West. The exciting Golden State Warriors vs. the extremely seasoned San Antonio Spurs. Thought it’d be a close one? Well, you thought very, very wrong. The Dubs won by a whopping 30 points, completely blowing out the Spurs. Stephen Curry was as lit as it gets, dropping 37 hot points and swiping 5 steals in only 28 minutes of play.

“In a nutshell,” Kings television analyst and former coach Jerry Reynolds said, “Rondo’s a basketball player playing chess while everyone else is playing checkers. He’s two or three moves ahead of most people. Great players with great basketball instincts have that, and he has it.”

(George) Karl and Rondo sometimes disagree, too, which happens when player and coach are equal parts stubborn and proud. But they work it out, both have said. This has been a good marriage, and the recent wins certainly help. […] “It’s been fun,” the coach said. “It’s always enjoyable to see how a guy can make a team work. He’s had great runs in his career. He’s been very valuable to us.”

“He’s such a big fan of the game, and he’s always watching,” (Omri) Casspi said. “Sometimes I’ll tell him ‘Hey, I cut here; I was open!’ and he’ll text me at 2:30 in the morning, while watching film, saying ‘You were open. You were right. I need to see that.’”

“It seems like I say this each time we have to narrow down a roster, but I am struck by the remarkable commitment the players in the USA Basketball National Team program continue to display and the enthusiasm they have for representing their country,” said USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo, who has served as the managing director of the USA Men’s National Team since 2005.

“The depth of talent that exists in the national team program is extraordinary. Repeating as gold medalists at the 2016 Olympics will not be easy, but we feel confident that we have 30 finalists who offer amazing basketball abilities and special versatility. We’re also fortunate that the roster is comprised of so many veterans of international basketball. In addition to 18 players who have won Olympic and/or World Cup gold medals, there are 16 finalists who have played between 20 and 72 games for USA Basketball. That experience is extremely valuable and something we’ve not always had available to draw upon. […] Obviously selecting the official roster of 12 players for the Olympics in 2016 will be a very, very difficult process. As has been the case with past USA Basketball teams, the goal once again is to select the very best team possible to represent the United States.”

In short bursts, Russell has shown he can be special, but on Thursday, his talents were finally on full display. He scored a career-high 27 points off the bench in a 118-115 loss to the Sacramento Kings at Sleep Train Arena, including scoring 19 in the second half to help lead a rally from a 27-point deficit. […] Was this Russell’s best game of the season? Of course, but his answer to that very question carried the kind of confidence necessary to own the spotlight for the Lakers, which is exactly where Russell hopes to be when Kobe Bryant departs.

“Y’all ain’t seen nothing yet,” Russell said of his performance. “That’s all I’m going to say. … The world hasn’t seen anything yet.” […] “I know what I can do,” he said. “Y’all just got to see.”

Russell left the game in the final minutes after rolling his right ankle, spoiling a marvelous performance he believed should have included a comeback win. […] “They got lucky,” he said, referencing the Kings.

The Kings, again let perimeter players score too often, too easily and that had coach George Karl worked up after the game. Karl said he was ready to turn to Seth Curry, who is more noted for his shooting, to help the Kings shore up “shabby” defense by the guards. […] “Seth right now covers the ball better than anybody on our team and we need somebody to cover the ball,” Karl said. “I don’t need anymore points, I don’t need anything more than than somebody to cover the (darn) basketball. If someone gets hungry enough to cover the basketball he’ll probably play.”

The Lakers shot 61.5 percent in the second half and outscored the Kings 23-6 to start the fourth quarter to take a 109-108 lead. […] “We’ve got to get tired of giving the other team confidence and letting them have effort and hustle on our homecourt,” Karl said. “… In the second half we got outworked, outfought, and we were fortunate enough to have such a big lead and we saved it at the end against a team that’s probably having similar problems.”

Allowing the Lakers back in the game Thursday didn’t make the Kings feel good. Had the Kings lost, they would have lost to the two teams with the worst records in the NBA at home. […] “I feel the (double overtime) loss against Dallas was better than this win against the Lakers,” said DeMarcus Cousins.

Bryant, 37, sat out the fourth quarter and watched as his much younger teammates nearly pull off an improbable comeback against the Kings.

Ultimately, Sac-Town was able to hold on for a 118-115 win against their visiting rivals.

Per the LA Daily News:

After once trailing by as many as 24 points, the Lakers went on a 46-18 run. They can thank (D’Angelo) Russell, their rookie point guard who posted a career-high 27 points on 11-of-16 shooting, four assists and two steals before leaving the game as the Lakers led 113-112 with 1:46 left shortly nursing what the Lakers called a moderately sprained right ankle. He awkwardly landed after making a late layup against Kings center DeMarcus Cousins. Russell tried to play through it before telling Lakers coach Byron Scott, “I can’t run.” […] X-rays turned out negative, though Russell conceded uncertainty on if he will play in Friday’s game against Oklahoma City at Staples Center.

When he reflects on this game years from now, Bryant may mostly remember the cheers mostly drowning out the boos and cowbells during starting lineup introductions. Then, Bryant looked at the Kings’ retired jerseys, including Vlade Divac, Chris Webber and Peja Stojakovic, and shook his head. […] “I’m looking up there and going, ‘It felt like yesterday I was just playing against them,’” Bryant recalled saying. “With their numbers retired, what the hell am I still doing here?’ If I hadn’t decided to retire now, that would’ve made me retire immediately.”

Or maybe Bryant will remember this marked the game in which he became the youngest player to eclipse 33,000 points after missing the past three contests because of soreness in his right shoulder. Bryant also threw down an alley-oop dunk from (Jordan) Clarkson in the second quarter in what Scott called a “young man moment.” […] Said Scott: “I told him, ‘Hey, didn’t we talk about no more dunking?’” Said Bryant: “I told him, ‘Two hands, I’m okay.’ I went to the basket earlier in the game and I thought about dunking it. My legs felt fine. But then I felt my shoulder. I’m not going to chance it.”

Serge Ibaka led the short-handed Thunder with a season-high 25 points.

Per the AP:

DeMarcus Cousins had 33 points and a season-high 19 rebounds, and Sacramento took advantage of Kevin Durant being out of the lineup to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 116-104 on Monday night. […] Durant missed the game with a sprained right big toe. His status is day-to-day, but coach Billy Donovan said before the game that he didn’t consider it serious.

Without Durant, Russell Westbrook took on more of the load. He had 17 points, 15 assists and eight rebounds, but he made just 2 of 15 shots in the second half. […] “It definitely helped having K.D. out,” Cousins said. “That’s a big threat that they didn’t have tonight. It made our jobs a little bit easier on defense. I think we were able to key in on Russ tonight and make other guys shoot, and we won the game.”

“They made a little run, but we stopped the bleeding early and gained control of the game again,” Cousins said.

The Cavaliers got them Raptors done real well Monday night, as Cleveland managed a 22-point victory at home. Kyrie Irving led all players with a season-high 25 points to go with his 6 rebounds and 8 assists. JR Smith added 24 points, all of which came from the arc. Kyle Lowry’s 23 points and 10 assists plus a block on LeBron James were cool and all…but simply not enough to control the Cavs.

Sixers 109 (4-33), Timberwolves 99 (12-23)

The Philadelphia 76ers have officially won their fourth game of the season—their third win in six games. Led by recently acquired Ish Smith and his 21-point, 11-board performance, the young Philly squad is building up some confidence. New year, new team?

Celtics 103 (19-15), Nets 94 (10-24)

With a career-high 25 points, Jae Crowder led his Boston Celtics to victory against the Nets in Brooklyn. Boston opened the game by scoring 37 points in the first quarter, taking an early 15-point lead. That lead was never fully overcome.

Pistons 115 (19-16), Magic 89 (19-16)

The Detroit Pistons poured on the points in Orlando to defeat the Magic by 26. Motor City led by as many as 32 during the game, blowing out the Magic in multiple categories including fast break points (20-7) and rebounds (54-30). Kentavious Caldwell-Pope led all scorers with 21 points, and Andre Drummond added a 17-point, 12-rebound double-double.

Heat 103 (21-13), Pacers 100 (19-15) OT

Yo, Dwyane Wade, tho. Flash is still flashy and making sure people know! With a move like this that took him up in the air for a dunk, and later a buzzer beater that’d send the game to OT…it’s clear D-Wade was feeling it. He finished with 27 points and 8 boards. Chris Bosh was certainly feeling it too, tallying 31 points and 11 boards. The Miami Heat rallied from 18 down, and then finished the Indiana Pacers up in overtime.

Spurs 123 (30-6), Bucks 98 (14-22)

The San Antonio Spurs earned their thirtieth win of the season Monday night and their fifth in a row as they blew out the Milwaukee Bucks 123-98. Kawhi Leonard scored 24, and LaMarcus Aldridge added 16 points and 12 rebounds in the winning effort.

Kings 116 (14-20), Thunder 104 (24-11)

With their dub over the Thunder on Monday, the Sacramento Kings earned their first-ever victory in OKC. SLAM’s latest cover subject, DeMarcus Cousins, led all scorers with 33 points and 19 boards in the win. Rajon Rondo added a near triple-double with 13 points, 19 assists and 9 boards. Oklahoma City was without Kevin Durant, and Sacramento had a good time taking advantage of that.

Rockets 93 (17-19), Jazz 91 (15-18)

James Harden scored 30 points and dished out 7 assists in the Houston Rockets’ road win over the Utah Jazz. The victory, which came despite a 15-point deficit, ended Houston’s four-game skid. Rodney Hood was the high-scorer for Utah, finishing with 23 points and 7 assists in a losing effort.

Grizzlies 91 (19-17), Trail Blazers 78 (15-22)

Zach Randolph and the Memphis Grizzlies spoiled Damian Lillard’s return to the court on Monday night. The 34-year-old Z-Bo finished with 26 points and 18 boards off the bench, as the Grizz claimed the win in Oregon.

Warriors 111 (32-2), Hornets 101 (17-18)

Another day, another victory for the Dubs. The Splash Bros., Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, scored 30 points each to lead the Golden State Warriors to a home win over the visiting Charlotte Hornets.

Draymond Green threw in his third consecutive triple-double of 13 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists.

]]>http://www.slamonline.com/nba/dwyane-wade-flash/feed/0SLAMonlineStephen Curry With First Triple-Double of the Season (VIDEO)http://www.slamonline.com/media/slam-tv/stephen-curry-with-first-triple-double-of-the-season-video/
http://www.slamonline.com/media/slam-tv/stephen-curry-with-first-triple-double-of-the-season-video/#respondTue, 29 Dec 2015 15:25:05 +0000http://www.slamonline.com/?p=382646

Overcoming a slow start, Stephen Curry detonated for 17 points in the final three minutes of the second quarter Monday night, ending up with his first triple-double of the season.

The MVP’s sixth career triple-dip—23 points, fourteen rebounds and ten dimes in just thirty minutes of action—led the Golden State Warriors to a 122-103 win against the visiting Sacramento Kings.

Omri Casspi paced Sac-Town with 36 points (including 9 three-pointers), and DeMarcus Cousins was booted out after a pair of technical fouls.

Per the SF Chronicle:

The Warriors extended their regular-season home winning streak to 33 games with a 122-103 victory over the Kings on Monday at Oracle Arena — a fact that was seemingly an afterthought on a night that was as wacky as it was compelling. […] The game included five technical fouls and an ejection, shooting displays that would make the three-point contest jealous and the first ever Curry-Curry matchup in the NBA — all of which acted as a backdrop for the Warriors’ continued home dominance.

“It was a weird, electrifying atmosphere,” said Warriors point guard Stephen Curry, who downplayed walking through the postgame locker room with a pronounced limp. […] The Warriors (29-1) are the seventh team in NBA history to win at least 33 consecutive regular-season home games — a feat last accomplished by the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls, who won an NBA-record 44 in a row.

Klay Thompson had 29 points for his ninth 20-point game in the past 11, and Draymond Green added 25 points on 5-for-7 three-point shooting. Those are numbers that would have seemed remarkable if it wasn’t for Omri Casspi, who scored 36 points for the Kings on 9-for-12 three-point shooting, including seven three-pointers in the first half — the most ever by any Warriors opponent in a half.

It’s the typical move after a teammate takes a free-throw—everyone starts slapping some skin.

But when DeMarcus Cousins held his hand out expecting Rajon Rondo to give him a high-five, the Kings point guard left him hanging. Then, as the video up top shows, Boogie decided to use his other hand to complete the high-five.

No Blazers player in the past 29 years had put up numbers similar to McCollum’s near triple-double. Clyde Drexler had at least 34 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists on five occasions. […] “C.J. worked very hard his first two years here. But he learned the NBA game and put in a lot of time to have the type of success he is having right now,” Blazers coach Terry Stotts said.

A shooting guard most of the season, McCallum has moved over to the point the past four games in the absence of injured All-Star Damian Lillard. McCollum did a little of everything against the Kings, making 14 of 28 shots, directing the offense and also picking up four steals and a block. […] McCallum entered the game averaging 20 points and was shooting nearly 40 percent from 3-point territory. His 35 points were two short of his career high.

DeMarcus Cousins had 36 points and six rebounds for the Kings. Omri Casspi had 14 points and 10 rebounds, and Rajon Rondo finished with nine points and 15 assists. But Rondo also committed eight of the Kings’ 23 turnovers that led to 28 Portland points. […] (Kings coach George) Karl was denied his 1,155th victory, which would have tied him with Phil Jackson for fifth place on the career list. “On our home court, fundamentally, we gave up the turnovers and the rebound. That’s a nightmare,” said Karl, who ended his press conference quickly and departed with, “I’m done. I’m frustrated.”

The All-Star point guard added 12 points, but left the game with 38.5 seconds to go due to a rib injury following a collision with Kings point guard Darren Collison.

Marcin Gortat had 27 points, 16 rebounds and four blocks in the win.

Per the WaPo:

Forced to assume a heavier scoring burden in December because of a spate of injuries, Washington Wizards point guard John Wall reverted to facilitator-first prolifically in Monday’s 113-99 win over the Sacramento Kings. By the end of the night, he had accumulated a career-high 19 assists, a number that could’ve easily exceeded 20 if not for a few easy misses by teammates, to offset a rough shooting night.

“Every time I made a move it felt pretty sore,” said the 25-year-old Wall, who had 12 points on 4 of 15 shooting from the field.

Wall said he will undergo a series of treatments over the next couple days and indicated that his status for Wednesday’s matchup with the Memphis Grizzlies isn’t in question. He has battled through several maladies this season – including a sprained right ankle, bruised right knee, and left hip injury – and hasn’t missed a game yet. […] The ankle, which he has sprained several times this season, is the most serious injury of the bunch and it continues to plague him. He underwent an MRI last Thursday after re-spraining it against the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday and no structural damage was found.

Surely you have noticed that the NBA’s National TV schedule does not exactly distinguish itself with originality when it comes to lineups. And yes…I know that League Pass gets more popular every year, that now you can order individual games, and that mad kids just stream games illegally. Still, there is no doubt that games on ESPN and TNT (and ABC for the latter part of the year) still have the largest audiences by far. The ratings say it and the social media interaction says it (we can tell, now that we’ve fully adopted 24-7 Tweeting, Facebooking and posting—please tell me you’ve noticed it!). And these games feature, well, a lot of the same teams.

Clippers-Spurs. Cavs-Warriors. Spurs-Rockets. Lakers-Clippers. Thunder-Lakers. Cavs-Spurs. Lakers-Warriors. Rockets-Clippers. Rockets-Lakers. Clippers-Cavs. Warriors-Bulls. Bulls-Cavs. Bulls-Lakers. These are all real games on true national TV in the several weeks surrounding this issue’s release. It’s like the channels and the NBA put the same eight teams in a blender and spit out various match-ups. I get it. These are rivals or “hot” teams featuing “hot” players. Honestly, for better or worse, it’s not too different from the way SLAM has put out covers over the years…which can feel with distance and a time-lapse tool something like: MJ, Iverson, Kobe, MJ, LeBron, Iverson, Kobe, Curry, LeBron, Kobe, Curry. Rinse, repeat. It’s business. But sometimes you gotta have some fun, too.

And sometimes fun comes in the form of a late-night Knicks at Kings game, somehow chosen by the NBA and Turner folks as worthy of that coveted national TV exposure. And sometimes, the players in such a rarely spotlighted matchup need their chance on a cover, too. So behold, SLAM fans young and old, two beautifully shot (thanks always, Atiba and Tom!) covers (generally speaking, in early January Kristaps will be on stands in the Mid-Atlantic states and Boogie everywhere else, but they’ll both be available for purchase via SLAMonline) of guys who have never been on their own cover from teams that rarely have been. Hope you like.

]]>http://www.slamonline.com/the-magazine/features/demarcus-cousins-kings-slam-cover-story/feed/0SLAMonlineAnthony Bennett Asked to Be Sent to D-League for a Gamehttp://www.slamonline.com/media/slam-tv/anthony-bennett-asked-to-be-sent-to-d-league-for-a-game/
http://www.slamonline.com/media/slam-tv/anthony-bennett-asked-to-be-sent-to-d-league-for-a-game/#respondMon, 21 Dec 2015 16:15:34 +0000http://www.slamonline.com/?p=381855

Former top NBA Draft pick Anthony Bennett took part in a rare basketball double-header Sunday. The 22-year-old volunteered to join Raptors 905, Toronto’s D-League affiliate, for a game and then

With the Raptors home and the 905 playing the Delaware 87ers earlier in the day, Anthony Bennett approached management and asked to be sent down in order to take advantage of the double-header and get some reps in.

The former number-one draft pick, who had only seen 48 minutes total for the Raptors this season, scored 13 and played 24 minutes in the 105-94 D-League win.

“He wanted to play, he came to us,” said (head coach Dwane) Casey. “Saves us from having to go and ask them. It’s great that the guys have the foresight to go and do that. Bennett being from here is a big plus to. Going down, giving the local fans a chance to see him.”

A report came out Wednesday claiming that Rockets center Dwight Howard had soured on Houston and was looking for a way out, and that there was possibly another deal involving the Miami Heat and Sacramento Kings in the works.

Have been told from inside the Heat absolutely nothing to speculation linking Whiteside to Dwight Howard or DeMarcus Cousins.

Howard says though he’s obviously not thrilled with the Rockets’ two-game losing streak, he’s not demanding a trade.

Per the Houston Chronicle:

Howard called the report “lies” and said he has never expressed any dissatisfaction with his role.

“I haven’t said anything to anybody about anything,” Howard said. “People make up lies and rumors. That’s never been my focus. I’m trying to get these guys to play better and get myself to play better. […] People are going to say what they got to say to get a story out. People are always going to come up with some rumor and lies. That’s what it is. I can’t focus on that. And I don’t want my teammates to focus on that.”

Howard is averaging 13.6 points per game on just 8.3 shots per game. But he said last week he was not concerned with his own offense, believing that his role would increase throughout the season. […] “I want us to win,” Howard said. “We had two upsetting losses. We’re all frustrated because we know we can play better. I haven’t said anything to any reporter or to anybody about being unhappy. That’s only noise. All the other stuff is lies.”

In a strange incident, Boogie’s manager Andrew Rogers was booted out of the arena after making contact with Jason Terry following a Ben McLemore jam.

Per the Sac Bee:

“I’ve got a crazy team, and I’m kind of crazy,” George Karl said. […] Karl was commenting on some decisions his players make on the court, but there was plenty of crazy to go around Tuesday as the Kings defeated the Houston Rockets, 107-97, at Sleep Train Arena.

Perhaps the Kings embracing their label as the NBA’s reality TV show will be the team’s rallying point. […] “There’s some type of saying,” said Kings center DeMarcus Cousins. “A team usually matches the coach.”

Cousins ran to that end of the court when he saw what was happening (with Rogers and Terry), and security was ready to defuse the situation. […] “My biggest thing is, I didn’t want the situation to escalate too far,” he said. “It just shows I’ve got some ride or dies,” Cousins said.

Statements from Vivek Ranadivé and Vlade Divac: “Rajon’s comment was disrespectful and offensive, and we wholeheartedly disapprove of any language that discriminates or disparages others based on sexual orientation or anything else,” said Vice President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Vlade Divac. “Rajon has apologized and this is not the sort of behavior we condone nor is it representative of the Sacramento Kings organization.”

“Rajon’s comment is not reflective of the culture of the Sacramento Kings organization or the world we want to live in,” said Kings Owner and Chairman Vivek Ranadivé. “He’s apologized, and has been suspended by the NBA. On behalf of the team, I apologize to Bill Kennedy for any harm this may have caused.”

A couple of weeks ago, Rajon Rondo was booted out of a loss to the Boston Celtics in Mexico City after earning a pair of technical fouls, and then later slapped with a one-game suspension for his tirade against referee Bill Kennedy.

The 29-year-old point guard is the first player in NBA history to be suspended for uttering anti-gay remarks, though others have been punished with fines.

Per Yahoo! Sports:

“I am proud to be an NBA referee and I am proud to be a gay man,” Kennedy said Sunday night. “I am following in the footsteps of others who have self-identified in the hopes that will send a message to young men and women in sports that you must allow no one to make you feel ashamed of who you are.”

NBA commissioner Adam Silver delivered a statement of support for Kennedy. […] “I wholeheartedly support Bill’s decision to live his life proudly and openly,” Silver said in a statement. “Throughout his 18-year career with the league, Bill has excelled as a referee because of his passion, dedication and courage. Those qualities will continue to serve him well both as a game official and as a positive influence for others. While our league has made great progress, our work continues to ensure that everyone is treated with respect and dignity.”

After Kennedy, 49, ejected Rondo with consecutive technical fouls in a Kings loss to the Boston Celtics, Rondo defied league protocol to immediately leave the court and began stalking Kennedy, who had retreated to a far sideline of the floor. […] In the game officials’ report used as part of the NBA’s investigation – which includes details provided from National Basketball Referee’s Association general counsel Lee Seham – Kennedy and fellow referee Ben Taylor described Rondo’s post-ejection diatribe as including the statements: “You’re a mother——- faggot. … You’re a f—— faggot, Billy.”